1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a head-protecting air bag device for a vehicle, wherein a head-protecting air bag body accommodated along a pillar and a roof side rail unfolds similarly to a curtain due to gas jetted from an inflator when a high load of predetermined level acts on a side portion of a vehicle body.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been proposed a head-protecting air bag device for a vehicle in which, in order to improve the ability to protect the head of a vehicle occupant seated in a front seat when a predetermined high load acts on a side portion of a vehicle body, a head-protecting air bag body accommodated in a folded state over a region from a front pillar to a roof side rail is caused to unfold along a side window glass similarly to a curtain. This type of head-protecting air bag device for a vehicle is disclosed in International Publication No. WO 96/26087 and will be described hereinafter.
As shown in FIG. 9, a head-protecting air bag device 100 for a vehicle is structured to include, as main components, an elongated duct 106 disposed to extend from a front pillar portion 102 to a roof side rail portion 104, an air bag body 112 accommodated in the duct 106 in a folded state and fixed to a vehicle body at a front-end fixed point 108 and at a rear-end fixed point 110, an inflator 116, which is connected via a hose 114 to the rear end of the duct 106 and jets out gas when a predetermined high load acts on the side portion of the vehicle body, and a band-shaped strap 118 whose one end is fixed to the vehicle body and whose other end is fixed to the rear end of the air bag body 112. The air bag body 112 is formed by connecting a plurality of cells 120 together, which cells are each formed substantially into a cylindrical shape and are disposed with the longitudinal directions thereof substantially coinciding with the vertical direction of the vehicle.
According to the above-described structure, when a predetermined high load acts on the side portion of the vehicle body, gas is jetted from the inflator 116. The jetted gas flows into each cell 120 of the folded air bag body 112 via the hose 114 and the duct 106. As a result, each cell 120 expands substantially into a cylindrical configuration with the longitudinal direction thereof substantially coinciding with the vertical direction of the vehicle. The air bag body 112 is thereby inflated similarly to a curtain along a window glass 122. Further, the rear end of the air bag body 112 is connected via the strap 118 to the vehicle body, and therefore, the rear-end side of the air bag body 112 is reliably disposed at an inner side of the upper portion of a center pillar portion 124.
However, if the head-protecting air bag device as described above is used in a vehicle in which a triangular fixed window is provided in a front portion of a window glass of a front side door, a trim of a division bar formed in a rear edge portion of the fixed window is formed integrally with a front pillar garnish and it is thereby difficult for the entire front pillar garnish including the trim of the division bar to be sufficiently opened during the expansion of the air bag body.